


Reggie's Song

by marichatting



Series: The Twelve Days of Christmas [8]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Christmas, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:40:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28233324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marichatting/pseuds/marichatting
Summary: It's Christmas Eve, but Reggie can't sleep through his parents' fighting. So, he decides to sneak out and go to Luke's house.
Relationships: Luke Patterson/Reggie (Julie and The Phantoms)
Series: The Twelve Days of Christmas [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2056428
Comments: 11
Kudos: 117





	Reggie's Song

**Author's Note:**

> Part 8 of the Twelve Days of Christmas!
> 
> Sorry I'm posting this one a little late tonight, I've been with a couple of friends from high school for most of the day. Anyways, this one takes place in the 90s, before the guys died.

Reggie lay awake in his bed that night, unable to sleep through the yelling coming from downstairs.

This wasn’t unusual for his parents. They had been having issues for a while now, ever since Reggie’s mom found out about his dad’s affair with his secretary three years ago, when Reggie was thirteen. Usually, he just drowned the noise out with loud music, but his headphones had broken that morning, and he didn’t want his parents to know he was still awake.

He was pretty sure they didn’t know he could hear them. They probably just didn’t realize how loud they were. They probably didn’t know that they had kept him up almost every night since he was thirteen.

Reggie sighed and rolled over onto his side to turn on his bedside lamp. He sat up in the dimly-lit room and looked around. He briefly glanced at his window. Maybe he could sneak out and head to the late-night arcade in town or a 24-hour convenience store or something.

He stopped and shook his head. Nothing was open this late- not on Christmas Eve.

Reggie rolled his eyes and huffed. He hated Christmas.

He wished he could be one of those people who loved the holidays. He wished he could be someone who loved all the festivities and the holiday cheer, someone who actually looked forward to spending time with their family- someone whose family actually looked forward to spending time with each other. But that just wasn’t how his family worked.

Reggie hadn’t had a merry Christmas since he was a kid, and he was starting to resent the phrase itself.

He flinched as the yelling downstairs suddenly got even louder.

That was it. He couldn’t be in here anymore.

He changed from his pajamas into a sweatshirt and jeans, pulled on his heavy winter coat, and climbed out the window and down the tree next to the house. He didn’t even stop to worry about keeping quiet or staying hidden from his parents since he knew they wouldn’t notice him leaving anyways. He trudged through the snow covering the grass in his yard and climbed onto his bike, pedaling away from his house and down the street without even considering where he was going.

But before he could even make that decision, his muscle memory decided for him. Without even thinking, he ended up riding his bike directly to Luke’s house a block away.

He stopped in front of the house and looked up at it. Unlike his own family, the Pattersons  _ loved _ Christmas. In stark contrast to his house, Luke’s home was decorated with festive lights, a wreath on the door, and several cute candy cane figurines lining the walkway to the front door.

He left his bike in the front yard and quietly climbed over the fence like he had done a million times before. He walked around the corner of the house to Luke’s bedroom window. Thankfully, the other boy was still awake and had his lamp on.

Reggie could see Luke sitting on his bed with his guitar, a notebook and pencil laid out in front of him. He hated to interrupt Luke’s writing, but he didn’t have anywhere else to go. He lightly tapped on the window. Luke turned to face him, his face contorted in confusion.

Luke’s eyebrows raised when he recognized Reggie shivering outside, and he immediately put his guitar down and rushed to open the window for his friend.

“Reg,” he said, his voice hushed. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m sorry,” Reggie apologized quickly. “I just- my parents are fighting, and my stupid headphones broke, and I couldn’t sleep, and I didn’t have anywhere else to-”

“Hey,” Luke interrupted, putting his hand on Reggie’s shoulder. “It’s okay. Come on in.”

Luke took Reggie’s hand and helped him climb through the window, then shut it behind him.

“Thanks, Luke,” Reggie said softly, taking off his coat and boots.

“Of course,” Luke said. “Anything for you, Reg. You know that.”

Reggie felt a blush rise in his cheeks. “Thank you.”

Luke furrowed his brow. “How long have you been out there in the cold? Your face is all red.”

Reggie’s eyes went wide. “Um. Yeah, I’ve been out for, um, a while. That’s why my face is red.”

Luke shook his head and sat down on his bed, patting the spot next to him. Reggie joined him on the bed, looking down at his lap and fiddling with his thumbs.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Luke asked gently, his voice soft.

Reggie shook his head. “Not really.”

Luke shrugged. “That’s okay. Do you wanna do something else?”

Reggie looked up at him. “Like what?”

“Like,” Luke said slowly, pulling his guitar up into his lap with a grin. “Do you wanna hear the new song I’ve been working on for the band?”

Reggie’s face lit up at the prospect of a new song. “Hell yeah.”

“Great,” Luke said. “It’s called ‘In Your Starlight.’”

He began gently strumming the guitar, and Reggie closed his eyes as the soothing sound of Luke’s voice washed over him. Luke’s singing voice had always been one of his favorite sounds in the world, but it was especially nice like this- when they weren’t onstage or rehearsing, when he wasn’t playing the part of a rockstar or putting on a whole performance. When it was just the two of them and a guitar, and Luke's voice was soft and gentle and comforting. Nothing else felt like this.

Even the lyrics were beautiful. It was a love song about an unrequited crush, and it made Reggie ache inside to think that Luke might have a crush on someone- but he couldn’t even bring himself to be upset because of Luke’s amazing lyrics.

After a couple of minutes, there was a knock at Luke’s bedroom door.

“Yeah?” Luke asked, stopping in the middle of the song. Reggie missed his singing already.

The door opened, and Luke’s mom, Emily, walked in.

“Lukie, I made-” she stopped in her tracks when she saw Reggie sitting cross-legged at the end of the bed. She furrowed her brow. “Reggie, honey, what are you doing here? It’s Christmas Eve; shouldn’t you be at home with your family?”

Reggie shook his head. “We’re not really a ‘spend Christmas Eve together’ kind of family.”

Her expression shifted into one of pity, and Reggie looked down at his lap. He didn’t want to be pitied.

“Are you sure, hon?”

He nodded.

“Okay,” she said. “Well, I just wanted to let you know that I made some cookies, and you two are welcome to come help me decorate them if you like. I have some colorful frosting and some festive little sprinkles if you want some Christmas cookies.”

Luke nodded and smiled at her. “Thanks, Mom.”

Emily nodded and left the room, closing the door behind her.

“It’s almost midnight,” Reggie said. “Does your mom usually make cookies this late?”

Luke shrugged. “Sometimes. We’re kind of a family of night owls. And she loves Christmas cookies. Speaking of which, do you wanna go decorate some?”

Reggie smiled softly. “Sure.”

The two boys headed into the kitchen to help Emily decorate cookies, and that night was the most holiday cheer Reggie had felt in years. It was full of fun, festivities, and laughter as Luke smeared frosting across Reggie’s nose and Reggie chased him around the kitchen with a piping bag full of bright green frosting.

Reggie’s cheeks were sore from smiling so much. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had enjoyed Christmas Eve like this.

When they were done with the cookies, they returned to Luke’s room.

“Thank you for letting me come over,” Reggie said. “I’m having a lot more fun here than I was at my place.”

“Anytime, Bug,” Luke assured him, and Reggie felt his heart skip a beat at the familiar nickname Luke liked to use for him whenever he got sappy. “I’m sorry about your parents.”

Reggie shrugged. “It’s fine.” It wasn’t, but he didn’t feel like crying tonight.

He glanced down at the open notebook on Luke’s bed, remembering the song he had played earlier.

“So,” Reggie said slowly, sitting down on the bed. “That song… is it about someone in particular?”

Luke chuckled awkwardly and turned away. Reggie felt a jolt in his heart as a sick feeling of jealousy started to rise up in his stomach, but he took the feeling and forced it way down until he could hardly feel it anymore.

“So there  _ is _ someone,” he teased halfheartedly, plastering on what he hoped was a teasing smile. “Who is it?”

Luke shuffled his feet against the carpet, something he often did when he was embarrassed. Reggie loved it. He was cute when he got shy.

“Who is it?” Reggie asked again, his voice softer this time.

Luke shook his head. “It’s no one,” he lied. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Luke,” Reggie said, and Luke finally turned to look at him. Reggie stuck out his bottom lip and pouted. “Please?”

Luke rolled his eyes. “Fine.” He went to the bed to sit down next to Reggie and looked him in the eyes. “You want the truth? The whole, honest truth?”

_ No, I don’t, _ a voice in Reggie’s head kept screaming, but he ignored it and nodded.

“Even if you don’t like it?”

Reggie paused and furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”

Luke looked down at his lap and swallowed hard. “Reg…” he took a deep breath and looked back up at him. “The song is about you.”

Reggie’s breath hitched in his throat, and for a second, he thought he misheard him. “What?”

Luke looked down and started fiddling with the guitar pick he was holding. “I’m sorry if that’s weird,” he said softly. “But I… I can’t help how I feel. I’m sorry.”

“Luke,” Reggie said, his voice barely audible as he reached out to touch Luke’s arm gently. “What are you saying?”

Luke rolled his eyes fondly, but there was a sadness in them, too. He looked at Reggie. “I like you, Bug. Like, as more than just a friend. I wrote the song about you because I-” he hesitated. “I don’t wanna be your friend, Reg. I wanna be your boyfriend.” He looked back down at his guitar pick.

Reggie felt like his heart was about to explode. He paused for a moment, processing this information.

“Luke?” he finally whispered.

Luke looked back up at him. “Yeah?”

Reggie leaned in and kissed him.

Suddenly, he loved Christmas Eve.

***

Reggie woke up the next morning wearing a borrowed pair of Luke’s pajamas, still wrapped in the other boy’s arms. After the kiss they had shared the previous night, they ended up talking and cuddling until they fell asleep. And nothing had ever felt more right.

“Hey,” Luke said from behind him, his voice raspy with sleep. Reggie felt like his heart might melt. “You up?”

Reggie hummed and nodded, rolling over onto his back so he could see his new boyfriend better.

“You wanna go eat some breakfast?” Luke asked, leaning his sleepy head on Reggie’s chest. “My mom makes cinnamon rolls every year on Christmas morning.”

“Yum,” Reggie yawned. “Sounds good. I wish my mom would-”

Suddenly, he sat bolt upright in the bed with a realization.

“Shit,” he said. “I didn’t tell my parents where I went.” He scrambled out of bed, rushing to gather up his belongings. “I gotta get home before-”

“Relax,” Luke said, climbing out of bed and putting a comforting hand on Reggie’s shoulder to calm him down. “My mom called your mom last night.”

Reggie raised his eyebrows. “She did?”

“Yeah,” Luke nodded. “She didn’t want them to worry.”

Reggie put his coat back down on Luke’s desk chair and looked down at his feet. “She didn’t need to do that. I probably could’ve gotten back before they even noticed I was gone.”

Suddenly, Luke pulled Reggie into a hug, which he gladly accepted.

“I’m sorry your parents suck,” Luke whispered into his ear. “But when you’re here with me, you don’t need to think about them, okay?”

Reggie nodded over Luke’s shoulder. “Okay.”

Luke pulled away from the hug and smiled. “Now, how about some cinnamon rolls?”

Reggie grinned back. “Sounds amazing.”

Luke took Reggie’s hand and pulled him out of the room and toward the kitchen. The feeling of his fingers interlaced with Luke’s made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

For once, he got to just be with a family full of people who cared about each other on Christmas, surrounded by love. He got to eat cinnamon rolls with his new boyfriend and forget about his home life.

It was his favorite Christmas ever.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to comment with feedback and/or a request! Thanks!
> 
> -Emma
> 
> Find me on Twitter: [lukesreggies ](https://twitter.com/lukesreggies)  
> 


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